Chapter 24 — Summer Rescuer

Sunday morning, when the storm had completely dissipated and the sky of Duong Xanh returned to incredibly blue after a violent night, sunlight shone down on a messy beach - umbrellas blown away by the wind were lying around, garbage washed ashore, and in particular, a part of the southern breakwater structure had been knocked down by strong waves for a distance of nearly twenty meters, revealing a poorly constructed concrete foundation, lacking reinforcement according to technical standards.

News of the embankment collapse spread quickly, accompanied by a series of photos and videos recorded by local people and tourists, clearly showing the poor construction quality of the project. Combined with Duong Viet Ha's investigative article posted a day earlier, and now with a follow-up article detailing the rescue of six people on a stormy night, the entire story of the Diamond Bay project exploded into a real storm of public opinion across social media platforms and domestic newspapers.

"My article got more than fifty thousand shares in just one night," Viet Ha informed Thao Nhi on the phone, her voice both excited and cautious. "Many other major newspapers are contacting us to ask for permission to republish the content. The provincial television station has also contacted us and wants to interview her and Mr. Duong directly."

Bach Duong, although still on "temporary leave pending transfer" according to the Department's decision, spent the entire morning going to the scene of the collapsed embankment, taking photos, measuring, and recording detailed physical evidence that confirmed everything he had been warning about for the past two months.

"This is irrefutable evidence," he said, showing Thao Nhi close-up photos of the concrete foundation exposed after being knocked down by waves. "Looking at this, the reinforcement density is only about sixty percent of the standard design for breakwaters in areas with similar geology. This is not a force majeure disaster, this is a direct consequence of sloppy construction to save costs and speed up progress."

Meanwhile, at the rescue station, the air was filled with both excitement and fatigue after a long, stressful night. Mr. Kiet, although still weak after the near-drowning incident, still insisted on being present at the station to monitor the situation, sitting on a plastic chair with a cup of hot ginger tea brought by Mr. Thi's mother.

"You should rest more," Thao Nhi said, sitting down next to him, her eyes still a little worried after last night's incident.

"I can't miss this moment," Anh Kiet replied, giving a weak but sincere smile. "After everything we've been through, I want to see with my own eyes the day justice is served."

At noon, a convoy of vehicles from the Provincial Construction Department and representatives of the regional Maritime Safety and Registration Department suddenly appeared at Duong Xanh, conducting an emergency inspection of the entire Diamond Bay project - a move that, just a week ago, seemed unthinkable. Pressure from public opinion, combined with undeniable physical evidence from the embankment collapse, forced higher authorities to intervene, overcoming all barriers that Kha Vinh Toan and related people had erected.

Mr. Sinh, Bach Duong's superior, was personally present in the inspection team and came to meet Bach Duong as soon as he arrived. “You're still here,” he said, his voice mixed with surprise and admiration.

"I promised not to leave until everything was resolved," Bach Duong replied frankly, not hiding his decision to disobey orders.

Mr. Sinh looked at him for a long time, then nodded, a gesture that meant more than words. "The decision to transfer you will be reviewed. Given what just happened, and with the detailed report you provided earlier, it is clear that you were right from the beginning. I apologize for not supporting you more strongly when you needed it most."

He stopped and looked out at the collapsed embankment, where engineers from the Department of Construction were carefully taking concrete samples for analysis. "I will propose that the Department officially be the focal point to coordinate with the province in re-evaluating this entire project, and you, as the person with the most field data, will be the one to lead the technical survey. This is not an empty apology, Bach Duong, this is the only way I can correct some of my mistakes."

Bach Duong nodded, feeling a great sense of relief knowing that his efforts over the past two months were finally properly recognized, not only by the ordinary people of Duong Xanh, but also by the very system that he had feared would turn its back on the truth.

"Thank you," Bach Duong replied, feeling a great burden lifted from his shoulders, even though he knew the war was not completely over.

In the afternoon, when the inspection team completed the preliminary survey, another unexpected event occurred - Kha Vinh Toan, perhaps sensing the upcoming collapse of the entire shielding system he had worked so hard to build, proactively went to the rescue station, his face pale, no longer the familiar confidence.

"Miss Thao Nhi," he said, his voice shaking differently than usual, "I... I need to talk to you, privately."

Thao Nhi, although wary, still agreed to meet him in a quiet corner of the station, with Bach Duong standing nearby observing. "What do you want to say?"

"I know everything is about to be exposed," Kha Vinh Toan said, his voice choked, his hands trembling as he rubbed them together. "I... I want to apologize. About both times — about your father eight years ago, and about what happened this summer. I was scared, and let greed and the fear of losing my position override my conscience."

"You knew about my father's death from the beginning?" Thao Nhi asked, her voice cold, suppressing her boiling anger.

“I knew the unusual flow was related to the dredging operation,” he admitted, his voice filled with regret. "But I chose to stay silent, because of pressure from my superiors, because I believed that speaking up would not change anything, it would only cause me to lose my job. I was wrong, completely wrong. I am willing to declare the whole truth to the investigation agency, if that can help you, even if it is late."

Thao Nhi looked at the man in front of her, her emotions mixed between resentment for eight years of silence and a little sympathy for the fall of a once powerful man. "I don't need your apology," she said finally, her voice determined. "I need you to tell the whole truth, officially, before the investigative agency and before the public. That's the only way you can atone for some of what you've done."

Kha Vinh Toan nodded, tears rolling down the face of the once powerful man, now only left with late regret. "I will. I promise."

After he left, Bach Duong walked to Thao Nhi and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Do you believe him?" he asked, his voice cautious.

"I don't know," Thao Nhi replied, sighing as she looked at the figure of Kha Vinh Toan walking unsteadily towards his car. "But if he actually gives testimony to the investigative agency as promised, that will be an important piece of the puzzle, regardless of whether his motive is genuine remorse or simply wanting to relieve himself of responsibility before everything completely collapses."

That same afternoon, Nghiem Bao Long called to announce that Kha Vinh Toan had gone to the police station, officially presented detailed testimony about the closed meeting eight years ago, about editing the investigation report to remove details about the unusual flow, and about the fact that he had quickly signed the license for the Kim Cuong Vinh project without requiring full environmental impact assessment documents according to regulations, in return for unofficial "support" from Cung Nghia Phat.

"This is an important turning point," Nghiem Bao Long said over the phone, his voice filled with rare excitement. "With this official testimony, along with physical evidence from the embankment collapse and Mr. Duong's technical report, I believe we have enough grounds for the provincial investigation agency to officially step in and reopen all files, including the incident of the three children eight years ago."

That news spread quickly throughout the rescue station, bringing an atmosphere of excitement mixed with caution. Trong Nghi, after hearing the news, called the whole team together, his voice unusually solemn. "We have come a long way, but the real legal battle has probably just begun. Cung Nghia Phat is still there, still has power, still has the ability to fight back. We must not be subjective."

Thao Nhi nodded, understanding his warning. But for the first time in eight years, she felt that the light at the end of the road was no longer as distant as before, but was coming closer than ever, step by step, thanks to the solidarity of everyone who had gone through this difficult journey with her.